---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Federal consent decrees - agreements…"
description: "\"Federal consent decrees - agreements between the federal government and a local agency to change how that agency operates - are burdensome, costly, and..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/32e/heather-mac-donald-6566_agency_federal-consent-decrees-agreements-betwe_1372283.jpg"
---

#  Federal consent decrees - agreements between the federal…

![“Federal consent decrees - agreements between the federal government and a local agency to change how that agency operates - are burdensome, costly, and rarely justified.” quote by Heather Mac Donald](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/32e/heather-mac-donald-6566_agency_federal-consent-decrees-agreements-betwe_1372283.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/32e/heather-mac-donald-6566_agency_federal-consent-decrees-agreements-betwe_1372283.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/32e/heather-mac-donald-6566_agency_federal-consent-decrees-agreements-betwe_1372283.jpg)

> “Federal consent decrees - agreements between the federal government and a local agency to change how that agency operates - are burdensome, costly, and rarely justified.”

[Heather Mac Donald](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/heather-mac-donald/)

## About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

Federal consent decrees often impose heavy costs and administrative burdens, yet they are rarely justified by clear benefits.

**In simple terms:** Decrees can be costly and unnecessary.

Key Takeaway

Critically assess the need for each decree.

Themes

law public policy government oversight

Mood

analytical critical

Type

policy legal

When to use this quote

- municipal budgeting
- school district reforms
- law enforcement policies

Key Concepts

cost‑benefit analysis regulatory reform accountability

Questions to Reflect On

- When is a decree truly necessary?
- How can oversight be improved?

A Different Perspective

Some decrees address systemic issues that other tools cannot fix.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Agency](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/agency/) [Agreements Federal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/agreements-federal-4729410/) [Between](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/between/) [Change](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/change/) [Consent Decrees](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/consent-decrees-1838544/) [Decrees](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/decrees-330951/) [Decrees Agreements](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/decrees-agreements-4729409/) [Federal Consent](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/federal-consent-4729408/) [Federal government](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/federal-government/) [Government](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/government/) [How](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/how/) [Politics](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/politics/)

## Related quotes

> [There are now that 20 consent decrees in place like the one in Baltimore that are helping put broken police departments on a path…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/al-sharpton/there-are-now-that-20-consent-decrees-in-place-like-the-one-in/)

[Al Sharpton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/al-sharpton/)

> [What I've said about consent orders and consent decrees is that we shouldn't regulate through litigation.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/scott-pruitt/what-i-ve-said-about-consent-orders-and-consent-decrees-is-that-we/)

[Scott Pruitt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/scott-pruitt/)

> [“The decrees of the emperor end at the village gate.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/traditional-vietnamese/the-decrees-of-the-emperor-end-at-the-village-gate/)

[Traditional Vietnamese](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/traditional-vietnamese/)

> [There is no etiquette rule that decrees one must give out personal information to anyone who asks.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/judith-martin/there-is-no-etiquette-rule-that-decrees-one-must-give-out-personal/)

[Judith Martin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/judith-martin/)

> [The August Decrees were an improvised parliamentary reaction to an emergency situation.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/francois-furet/the-august-decrees-were-an-improvised-parliamentary-reaction-to-an/)

[Francois Furet](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/francois-furet/)

> [I don't have the power to issue papal decrees.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hamza-yusuf/i-don-t-have-the-power-to-issue-papal-decrees/)

[Hamza Yusuf](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hamza-yusuf/)

> [Still we did not expect to be without rubs and difficulties; and we have had them. First the detention of Western posts: then the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-jefferson/still-we-did-not-expect-to-be-without-rubs-and-difficulties-and-we/)

[Thomas Jefferson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-jefferson/)

> [“I do not have to tell you there has been a disappointing retreat of progress in recent times, whatever it is we call progress,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bernard-malamud/i-do-not-have-to-tell-you-there-has-been-a-disappointing-retreat-of/)

[Bernard Malamud](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bernard-malamud/)

> [“Finally, when the State close to ruin subsists only on an illusory and vain form, when the social bond is broken in all hearts,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-jacques-rousseau/finally-when-the-state-close-to-ruin-subsists-only-on-an-illusory-and/)

[Jean-Jacques Rousseau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-jacques-rousseau/)

> [Silence 'tis awe decrees.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-browning/silence-tis-awe-decrees/)

[Robert Browning](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-browning/)

> [Who is a good man? He who keeps the decrees of the fathers, and both human and divine laws. \[Lat., Vir bonus est quis?…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/horace/who-is-a-good-man-he-who-keeps-the-decrees-of-the-fathers-and-both/)

[Horace](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/horace/)

> [“The departments are shit; decrees are shit.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vladimir-ilyich-lenin/the-departments-are-shit-decrees-are-shit/)

[Vladimir Ilyich Lenin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vladimir-ilyich-lenin/)

> [It must take account of what it decrees for today in order that today may not paralyze tomorrow.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/felix-frankfurter/it-must-take-account-of-what-it-decrees-for-today-in-order-that-today/)

[Felix Frankfurter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/felix-frankfurter/)

> [“Rule by decree has conspicuous advantages for the domination of far-flung territories with heterogeneous populations and for a policy of oppression. Its efficiency is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hannah-arendt/rule-by-decree-has-conspicuous-advantages-for-the-domination-of-far/)

[Hannah Arendt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hannah-arendt/)

> [“Isaiah 10Doom to those who pronounce wicked decrees, and keep writing harmful laws 2to deprive the needy of their rights and to rob the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/isaiah-10doom-to-those-who-pronounce-wicked-decrees-and-keep-writing/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

## More by Heather Mac Donald

> [If, by deferring or maybe even skipping college entirely, students were foregoing their one hope for immersion in Western civilization, there would indeed be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/heather-mac-donald/if-by-deferring-or-maybe-even-skipping-college-entirely-students-were/)

[Heather Mac Donald](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/heather-mac-donald/)

> [Race and gender quotas, whether in publishing, the media, or scientific research labs, are becoming more extreme and more ineluctable.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/heather-mac-donald/race-and-gender-quotas-whether-in-publishing-the-media-or-scientific/)

[Heather Mac Donald](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/heather-mac-donald/)

> [Opponents of New York City's proactive style of policing struggle mightily to downplay its most obvious benefit: the largest crime drop on record, concentrated…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/heather-mac-donald/opponents-of-new-york-city-s-proactive-style-of-policing-struggle/)

[Heather Mac Donald](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/heather-mac-donald/)

> [Without question, women can act with bravery, foresight, and tactical intelligence.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/heather-mac-donald/without-question-women-can-act-with-bravery-foresight-and-tactical/)

[Heather Mac Donald](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/heather-mac-donald/)

> [Police departments are under enormous political pressure to hire based on race, despite existing efforts to recruit minorities, on the theory that doing so…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/heather-mac-donald/police-departments-are-under-enormous-political-pressure-to-hire/)

[Heather Mac Donald](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/heather-mac-donald/)

> [It is not the case that I can predict your views knowing that you are a white male. I cannot predict your views if…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/heather-mac-donald/it-is-not-the-case-that-i-can-predict-your-views-knowing-that-you-are/)

[Heather Mac Donald](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/heather-mac-donald/)

> [Received left-wing wisdom holds that the police cannot lower crime, only massive welfare spending and the redistribution of wealth can.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/heather-mac-donald/received-left-wing-wisdom-holds-that-the-police-cannot-lower-crime/)

[Heather Mac Donald](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/heather-mac-donald/)

> [Hispanics' welfare consumption - and their affinity for the Democratic message - will decline over time as they climb the economic ladder.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/heather-mac-donald/hispanics-welfare-consumption-and-their-affinity-for-the-democratic/)

[Heather Mac Donald](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/heather-mac-donald/)

> [Mandatory stints in the private economy before college enrollment could do wonders for study skills.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/heather-mac-donald/mandatory-stints-in-the-private-economy-before-college-enrollment/)

[Heather Mac Donald](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/heather-mac-donald/)

> [A core plank of left-wing academic thought is that gender and race are 'socially constructed.'](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/heather-mac-donald/a-core-plank-of-left-wing-academic-thought-is-that-gender-and-race/)

[Heather Mac Donald](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/heather-mac-donald/)

> [For decades, liberal criminologists have tried to corroborate the Left's cherished belief that the criminal-justice system responds to similarly situated whites and blacks unequally.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/heather-mac-donald/for-decades-liberal-criminologists-have-tried-to-corroborate-the-left/)

[Heather Mac Donald](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/heather-mac-donald/)

> [The more frequently officers encounter violent suspects from any given racial group, the greater the chance that members of that racial group will be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/heather-mac-donald/the-more-frequently-officers-encounter-violent-suspects-from-any/)

[Heather Mac Donald](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/heather-mac-donald/)

> [A strong police presence keeps individuals involved in 'street life' from triggering the most severe penalties of the law by providing a surrogate for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/heather-mac-donald/a-strong-police-presence-keeps-individuals-involved-in-street-life/)

[Heather Mac Donald](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/heather-mac-donald/)

> [A federal government with enough money to buy iPads for local gym teachers is not a federal government that has been cut to the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/heather-mac-donald/a-federal-government-with-enough-money-to-buy-ipads-for-local-gym/)

[Heather Mac Donald](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/heather-mac-donald/)

> [I don't understand how people of intelligence can reconcile what I see as constant proof of divine indifference to human outcomes with a reverence…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/heather-mac-donald/i-don-t-understand-how-people-of-intelligence-can-reconcile-what-i/)

[Heather Mac Donald](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/heather-mac-donald/)

[Explore all 98 Heather Mac Donald quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/heather-mac-donald/)

## More Agency quotes

> [The work, the work, the work. This is what the business is all about. This is the fun, the glory, the pleasure. It's the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/phil-dusenberry/the-work-the-work-the-work-this-is-what-the-business-is-all-about/)

[Phil Dusenberry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/phil-dusenberry/)

> [Anyone who's read my 'Terror in the Skies' series knows that I have not been writing with an eye toward approval from any government…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/annie-jacobsen/anyone-who-s-read-my-terror-in-the-skies-series-knows-that-i-have-not/)

[Annie Jacobsen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/annie-jacobsen/)

> [ We have no clear ideas of the agency of \[demonic\] spirits, nor is it necessary. The Scripture says little to satisfy our curiosity; but… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-newton/we-have-no-clear-ideas-of-the-agency-of-demonic-spirits-nor-is-it/)

[John Newton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-newton/)

> [It’s a shameful moment for U.S. media when it insists on being subservient to the grotesque propaganda agencies of a violent, aggressive state.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/noam-chomsky/it-s-a-shameful-moment-for-u-s-media-when-it-insists-on-being/)

[Noam Chomsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/noam-chomsky/)

> [In 1949 there was a new thing called Television, to which my agency and advisers opposed as a performance medium.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/loretta-young/in-1949-there-was-a-new-thing-called-television-to-which-my-agency/)

[Loretta Young](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/loretta-young/)

> [Well look, CIA is an agency that has to collect intelligence, do operations. We have to take risks and it's important that we take…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leon-panetta/well-look-cia-is-an-agency-that-has-to-collect-intelligence-do/)

[Leon Panetta](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leon-panetta/)

> [I know that God loves us. He allows us to exercise our moral agency even when we misuse it. He permits us to make…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-s-monson/i-know-that-god-loves-us-he-allows-us-to-exercise-our-moral-agency/)

[Thomas S. Monson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-s-monson/)

> [I was taking all prints and I brought them to the Magnum meetings, trying the old Josef Koudelka trick: Give them to photographers, who…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-van-agtmael/i-was-taking-all-prints-and-i-brought-them-to-the-magnum-meetings/)

[Peter van Agtmael](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-van-agtmael/)

> [The WPA was one of the most productive elements of FDR's alphabet soup of agencies because it put people to work building roads, bridges,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ronald-reagan/the-wpa-was-one-of-the-most-productive-elements-of-fdr-s-alphabet/)

[Ronald Reagan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ronald-reagan/)

> [In most agencies, account executives outnumber the copywriters two to one. If you were a dairy farmer, would you employ twice as many milkers…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-ogilvy/in-most-agencies-account-executives-outnumber-the-copywriters-two-to/)

[David Ogilvy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-ogilvy/)

> [Free agency is a gift of God…The world does not comprehend the significance of that divine gift to the individual. It is as inherent…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-o-mckay/free-agency-is-a-gift-of-god-the-world-does-not-comprehend-the/)

[David O. McKay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-o-mckay/)

> [You are also asked to take an oath, and that's the oath of service. The oath of service is not to secrecy, but to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-snowden/you-are-also-asked-to-take-an-oath-and-that-s-the-oath-of-service-the/)

[Edward Snowden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-snowden/)

> [You cannot have 300-some million Americans - and really, right, the global citizenry be at risk of having their phone conversations intercepted with a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ted-lieu/you-cannot-have-300-some-million-americans-and-really-right-the/)

[Ted Lieu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ted-lieu/)

> [I do a lot of writing in my capacity as the creative director for a marketing agency. These days, though, I'm trying to write…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ian-doescher/i-do-a-lot-of-writing-in-my-capacity-as-the-creative-director-for-a/)

[Ian Doescher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ian-doescher/)

> [Unfortunately, corruption is widespread in government agencies and public enterprises.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-papandreou/unfortunately-corruption-is-widespread-in-government-agencies-and/)

[George Papandreou](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-papandreou/)

[Browse all 1,225 Agency quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/agency/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "Federal consent decrees - agreements between the federal government and a local agency to change how that agency operates - are burdensome, costly, and rarely justified.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Heather Mac Donald"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/heather-mac-donald/federal-consent-decrees-agreements-between-the-federal-government-and/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Agency"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/heather-mac-donald/federal-consent-decrees-agreements-between-the-federal-government-and/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/32e/heather-mac-donald-6566_agency_federal-consent-decrees-agreements-betwe_1372283.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/32e/heather-mac-donald-6566_agency_federal-consent-decrees-agreements-betwe_1372283.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/32e/heather-mac-donald-6566_agency_federal-consent-decrees-agreements-betwe_1372283.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“Federal consent decrees - agreements between the federal government and a local agency to change how that…” — Heather Mac Donald",
                "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
                "creator": {
                    "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
                }
            }
        },
        {
            "@type": "BreadcrumbList",
            "itemListElement": [
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 1,
                    "name": "Home",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 2,
                    "name": "Quotes",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 3,
                    "name": "Heather Mac Donald",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/heather-mac-donald/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "Federal consent decrees - agreements between...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/heather-mac-donald/federal-consent-decrees-agreements-between-the-federal-government-and/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/heather-mac-donald/federal-consent-decrees-agreements-between-the-federal-government-and/#breadcrumb"
        },
        {
            "@type": "WebSite",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website",
            "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/",
            "publisher": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
            }
        },
        {
            "@type": "Organization",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization",
            "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/",
            "logo": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png",
                "width": 512,
                "height": 512
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
